25 books
—
54 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “A Christmas Haven: An Amish Christmas Romance” as Want to Read:
A Christmas Haven: An Amish Christmas Romance
(An Amish Christmas Romance #2)
by
Old Order Amish Ivy Zook is wrestling with her need to shed her community's ways so she can grow the business of her dreams: planning parties. As long as she's stuck living without modernization, she can barely get her business on its feet. But if she leaves too soon, she'd cause trouble for her sister, Holly, who is planning her wedding to Joshua Smucker. All of their pla
...more
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published
September 24th 2019
by Waterbrook Press
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
A Christmas Haven,
please sign up.
Be the first to ask a question about A Christmas Haven
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of A Christmas Haven: An Amish Christmas Romance

Sep 14, 2019
Deanne Patterson
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Deanne by:
cnnamongirl@aol.com
Shelves:
netgalley,
netgalley-sep-2019
"Who I am can't be defined by breaking bonds with my family. It can only be defined by blooming right where He planted me."
Erin and Cindy Woodsmall have coauthored four books together including this their third Christmas one.
I look at this book as a sequel to The Amish Remedy, last year's Christmas book by these authors.
In this one we see an update to the character's and situations we encountered in this previous book.
This book can be read as a stand alone but you'll have a better understanding ...more
Erin and Cindy Woodsmall have coauthored four books together including this their third Christmas one.
I look at this book as a sequel to The Amish Remedy, last year's Christmas book by these authors.
In this one we see an update to the character's and situations we encountered in this previous book.
This book can be read as a stand alone but you'll have a better understanding ...more

A heartfelt story full of faith, hope, and love! An unwed pregnant teen on the run with her brother find a haven in the compassionate care of an Amish community. This story follows the Zook family from the previous novella, A Christmas Remedy, featuring Holly's younger sister, Ivy. It easily reads as a stand alone though.
I enjoyed this story from start to finish! It is well written with relevant topics, especially for young adults. The crisis of faith and major life decisions that both Arlan and ...more
I enjoyed this story from start to finish! It is well written with relevant topics, especially for young adults. The crisis of faith and major life decisions that both Arlan and ...more

My thoughts: A CHRISTMAS HAVEN is kind of a sequel to The Amish Remedy and readers will want to read them in order to get Holly and Josh's story - and the pharmacy.
I enjoyed getting to know Ivy and Arlan and hope for a future story about Red and Magda.
A CHRISTMAS HAVEN is heartbreaking with the way Arlan and Magda were treated and I was so glad Arlan had compassion for his sister and got her much-needed help. I also loved the family dynamics of Ivy's family with their closeness and sense of hum ...more
I enjoyed getting to know Ivy and Arlan and hope for a future story about Red and Magda.
A CHRISTMAS HAVEN is heartbreaking with the way Arlan and Magda were treated and I was so glad Arlan had compassion for his sister and got her much-needed help. I also loved the family dynamics of Ivy's family with their closeness and sense of hum ...more

A Christmas Haven is the second book in the series, An Amish Christmas Romance, and another great feel good story of how the Amish approach life and deal with issues that come up within their church community. In these stories, the young adult women want to have a life that is non-traditional in their faith. In The Christmas Remedy, Holly wanted to become a medical professional to help the Amish and got it approved by her bishop. Now, she is engaged but will Josh's bishop approve? Her sister, Iv
...more

It was lovely to return to the Zook Family (book one is The Christmas Remedy). A Christmas Haven is primarily focused on Ivy, however, it was great to get caught up with Holly as well. This short Christmas novel is about making sacrifices for those we love and making tough decisions. The hospitality and kindness of the Zook Family is something to strive for. Holly's heart for reaching the Amish with modern medicine was a nice continuation in this novel.
...more

Oct 18, 2019
Shirley Chapel
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
Marilyn Ridgway
Shelves:
amish-fiction,
christmas-books
A Christmas Haven is a sequel to The Christmas Remedy. The title is what the book is really about. An Old Order Amish home becomes a Haven to a brother and sister who have fled from their Amish Swartzentruber parents. The young teenage girl is pregnant and her body is rejecting the change. Even though she is very sick her parents refuse to get medical help because they feel it is not an emergency and that she should be punished for her sin of being pregnant and not married.
The brother ,though s ...more
The brother ,though s ...more

I enjoyed this second book in this series, and love being updated in the lives of the previous characters, and now moving on with some of the other folks me met in Christmas Remedy, and note that they can stand alone, but love having read both.
We meet a young man willing to sacrifice all he has for the love and care of his sister, and an Amish woman who feels the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
The author treats us to some information about different groups of the Amish religion, ...more
We meet a young man willing to sacrifice all he has for the love and care of his sister, and an Amish woman who feels the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
The author treats us to some information about different groups of the Amish religion, ...more

I was hoping that Christmas would be more of a central theme and honestly Christmas didn't play into the story at all. Most of the novel takes place in summer and fall. Ivy Zook has decided that she is going to leave the Amish in order to pursue her dream of party planning. Her mother is devastated and begs her to wit a few months so as not to cause a scandal and ruin her sister's wedding and Ivy reluctantly agrees. When a Swartzentruber Amish man and pregnant woman crash a car into the storefro
...more

Ivy is old Order Amish and is planning on leaving the order to open a party planning business. Her sister Holly works at a pharmacy and is studying for her LPN. She is also planning on getting married and doesn’t know if the bishop where her future husband lives will allow her to continue to work after her marriage. Arlan and is ill sister are part of an ultra conservative Amish sect and have to decide if they will continue with the sect or join the old order Amish. Set at Christmas time, it is
...more

I loved how this book continued the story of Holly and Joshua from the first book as a subplot! The main character is Holly's sister, Ivy, who is struggling to balance her past and future while she is attempting to make a major life transition. Also in limbo are Arlan and Magda, young adult siblings who are on the run from their family. I was surprised by the differences between the Amish and Swartzentruber Amish and the prejudices each have about the other. I enjoyed that Ivy and Arlan spoke pl
...more

A Christmas Haven is another outstanding book written by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall. This is such a tender heartwarming story of love, friends, family, and faith. I was drawn into this story from the first page. The story can be read as a stand alone because the author touches back on previous stories giving the reader information about the characters. I truely enjoyed this story and I am hoping there will be another one to follow.
I was drawn to several of the characters and really enjoy ...more
I was drawn to several of the characters and really enjoy ...more

There was something frustrating about this book. It feels like I did in high school when I was trying to write a paper and the deadline was approaching and I just tied everything up in a tidy bow and left out important bits of information. Cindy Woodsmall and her daughter-in-law, Erin, have been collaborating on books for a bit now and they do a wonderful job together. This one "flub" won't keep me from reaching for their books, but it's one I can't truly endorse.
A Christmas Haven starts in the ...more
A Christmas Haven starts in the ...more

The writing duo, Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall, has crafted a beautiful story in their newest release, A Christmas Haven. It was fun catching up with the characters from their previous book, The Christmas Remedy. This is such a wonderful and heartwarming Christmas tale.
I am giving A Christmas Haven five plus stars. I highly recommend this sweet Amish Christmas Romance. It is a perfect book to get readers started on their holiday season reading.
I received this book from the publisher, but ...more
I am giving A Christmas Haven five plus stars. I highly recommend this sweet Amish Christmas Romance. It is a perfect book to get readers started on their holiday season reading.
I received this book from the publisher, but ...more

A CHRISTMAS HAVEN by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall is a wonderful Amish Christmas romance that’s about faith, family, love, traditions and finding one’s own path in life. This well written story will tug at your heart pulling for the underdog and hoping that dreams really do come true.
It’s the story of Ivy Zooks, raised Old Order Amish, and Arlan Keim, raised Swartzentruber, and how their paths crossed each bringing their upraising into the mix. Throw in Magda, Holly, Betty, a girlfriend o ...more
It’s the story of Ivy Zooks, raised Old Order Amish, and Arlan Keim, raised Swartzentruber, and how their paths crossed each bringing their upraising into the mix. Throw in Magda, Holly, Betty, a girlfriend o ...more

Reviewed at The Power of Words: https://bit.ly/2Nax7QW
Is this what the Word meant by “abundant life”? To experience the fullness of the heart, mind, and emotions? To give room to all of it in one’s own self and in others without trying to suppress or control it?
- Arlan
I love that quote because it encapsulates the overall theme of A Christmas Haven, that of discovering what abundant life means personally. Although a novella in length, the story has depth, characters are well developed, and comple ...more
Is this what the Word meant by “abundant life”? To experience the fullness of the heart, mind, and emotions? To give room to all of it in one’s own self and in others without trying to suppress or control it?
- Arlan
I love that quote because it encapsulates the overall theme of A Christmas Haven, that of discovering what abundant life means personally. Although a novella in length, the story has depth, characters are well developed, and comple ...more

A Christmas Haven by authors Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall is a contemporary Amish story that grabbed by attention immediately and did not release it until the end of this beautiful book. There is so much inspiration packed inside the 208 pages that I want everyone to read it.
This beautiful story is a sweet, tender, heartwarming tale of dreams, love, friends, family, and faith. It follows the authors’ book A Christmas Remedy, but can be read as a stand alone because the authors fill in in ...more
This beautiful story is a sweet, tender, heartwarming tale of dreams, love, friends, family, and faith. It follows the authors’ book A Christmas Remedy, but can be read as a stand alone because the authors fill in in ...more

A Christmas Haven by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall picks up shortly after The Christmas Remedy ends. While A Christmas Haven can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading The Christmas Remedy first. There is a cast of characters at the beginning of the book. I found the book to be well-written with developed characters and thoughtful pacing. Ivy Zook finds the rules of her community restrictive and she believes going Englisch will allow her to be free to pursue her dream of having a part
...more

4.5 stars.
A Christmas Haven by Cindy Woodsmall & Erin Woodsmall is a thought-provoking Amish romance.
Ivy Zook is a party-planner with her best friend and she is ready to leave her Amish faith in order to expand their business. She also helps her mamm on the family's dairy farm and she is ready to leave caring for cows behind her. Ivy has a big heart but she is also stubborn and outspoken. Knowing she is breaking her mamm's heart, will Ivy follow through with her plans?
Arlan Keim and his family ...more
A Christmas Haven by Cindy Woodsmall & Erin Woodsmall is a thought-provoking Amish romance.
Ivy Zook is a party-planner with her best friend and she is ready to leave her Amish faith in order to expand their business. She also helps her mamm on the family's dairy farm and she is ready to leave caring for cows behind her. Ivy has a big heart but she is also stubborn and outspoken. Knowing she is breaking her mamm's heart, will Ivy follow through with her plans?
Arlan Keim and his family ...more

A Christmas Haven, a touching Christmas story, gives us a glimpse of the Zook family, one year after the story, The Christmas Remedy.
Ivy Zook, like most young people, is struggling with who she is and who she wants to be. It is a struggle that will touch a chord in almost everyone’s life. However, her dilemma is complicated by her being Old Order Amish.
Arlan and Magda Keim, brother and sister, land in Ivy’s area when running from an even stricter Amish group. Arlan knows his sister desperately ...more
Ivy Zook, like most young people, is struggling with who she is and who she wants to be. It is a struggle that will touch a chord in almost everyone’s life. However, her dilemma is complicated by her being Old Order Amish.
Arlan and Magda Keim, brother and sister, land in Ivy’s area when running from an even stricter Amish group. Arlan knows his sister desperately ...more

A Christmas Haven is a charming and heartwarming holiday story that focuses on the importance of faith, family and friendship during whatever hardships come to light.
Surprisingly, this was my first experience with a Cindy Woodsmall novel, but she's for sure an author that I will be picking up again in the future, especially her Christmas stories. I didn't actually realize before I picked this one up that it's technically a sequel to Cindy and Erin's novel, The Christmas Remedy. However, it read ...more
Surprisingly, this was my first experience with a Cindy Woodsmall novel, but she's for sure an author that I will be picking up again in the future, especially her Christmas stories. I didn't actually realize before I picked this one up that it's technically a sequel to Cindy and Erin's novel, The Christmas Remedy. However, it read ...more

Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall have collaborated to give us another wonderful story. A Christmas Haven takes us into the Amish life in an unexpected way. I'm not sure about everyone else but when I think of Amish I think of buggies and caps and dressing plain and no electricity. I really did not know that there was quite a difference in the Amish lifestyle between different orders. A Christmas Haven mixes English, Old Order Amish, and Swartzentruber Amish. It's funny the prejudices that each
...more

Cindy Woodsmall is a favorite author of mine and I loved how she wrote this story with a labor of love. I think this is her best yet!!
The characters Arlan, Magda and Ivy and Hope were well written.
I especially admired Arlan. It certainly took a lot of courage to do what he did for his sister.
But there is One who shows His love greater than man can.
For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to die for us. Here's another favorite: For by Grace we are saved. Oh how I love that. He only ...more
The characters Arlan, Magda and Ivy and Hope were well written.
I especially admired Arlan. It certainly took a lot of courage to do what he did for his sister.
But there is One who shows His love greater than man can.
For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to die for us. Here's another favorite: For by Grace we are saved. Oh how I love that. He only ...more

This is a beautifully-told story with strong, dynamic characters and living in a quaint setting.
Perhaps the element of this book I liked the best was the manner in which numerous characters questioned their faith and their outlook on God's biblical teachings and found that they were not leading the faith-filled life their Lord had intended for them. A lot of individuals experienced a lot of personal growth during the course of this story.
Filled with hope, acceptance, forgiveness, honesty, and l ...more
Perhaps the element of this book I liked the best was the manner in which numerous characters questioned their faith and their outlook on God's biblical teachings and found that they were not leading the faith-filled life their Lord had intended for them. A lot of individuals experienced a lot of personal growth during the course of this story.
Filled with hope, acceptance, forgiveness, honesty, and l ...more

I just finished reading The Christmas Remedy and happened to see A Christmas Haven was available on NetGalley. What a wonderful surprise! A beautiful written Amish Christmas romance. It was definitely wonderful to follow characters from the first book in this story, a story of family, friends and lots of love.
Very uplifting, heartwarming Christmas story. I would recommend A Christmas Haven if you enjoy Amish holiday romance stories.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the oppor ...more
Very uplifting, heartwarming Christmas story. I would recommend A Christmas Haven if you enjoy Amish holiday romance stories.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the oppor ...more

A series of mini reviews ... While this seems to be a sweet Amish romance I skimmed the beginning and couldn't get interested in it.
...more
...more

A Christmas Haven brings us back to the Zooks. Old Order Amish Ivy Zook has only ever wanted to plan parties. However, not Amish parties but elaborate Englisher parties. To do this she must leave her community. Her timing couldn't be worse. With Holly planning her wedding, Ivy cannot jeopardize her sister's big day. When a car crashes into Greene's Pharmacy, circumstances change. Driven by a Swartzentruber Amish man, Holly, Ivy and her family take he and his ill sister in. Will caring for them m
...more

Ivy Zook intends on leaving her Old Order Amish community to partner with an English woman to start a party planning business. Her sister, Holly, is planning a wedding so she is staying at home longer than she would like. When a car driven by a Swartzentruber crashes into Greene's pharmacy, where Holly is employed, the Zooks take in the driver, Arlen and passenger, Magda. Arlen begins helping out on the family dairy farm. Ivy is independent and sees things differently than Arlen. The novel has s
...more

This is a very well written book. The authors have a way with words that makes the book come to life. This is a heartwarming story about putting others before yourself and how God always has the best plan for your life, you just have to trust Him, even when it's hard. A wonderful book with a beautiful message. Thank you WaterBrook & Multnomah via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own and I highly recommend this book.
...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Cindy Woodsmall is a New York Times and CBA best-selling author who has written nineteen (and counting!) works of fiction and one of nonfiction. She and her dearest Old Order Amish friend, Miriam Flaud, coauthored the nonfiction, Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women. Cindy's been featured on ABC Nightline and the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and has
...more
Other books in the series
An Amish Christmas Romance
(2 books)
News & Interviews
Need another excuse to treat yourself to a new book this week? We've got you covered with the buzziest new releases of the day.
To create our...
17 likes · 0 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »